Secret Channel Links Trump Administration to Iran's Revolutionary Guards Commander Amid Negotiations

In May 2026, during intense negotiations aimed at ending conflict with Iran, the Trump administration faced uncertainty about whether the Iranian negotiation team truly represented the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). To clarify this, U.S. officials bypassed the Iranian negotiators and reached out directly to the IRGC leadership through a trusted intermediary: Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq. Barzani, respected by both U.S. officials and IRGC leaders, including General Ahmad Vahidi, was asked to verify if the IRGC supported the ongoing talks led by Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Barzani contacted General Vahidi, who confirmed full IRGC backing for the negotiations and expressed a preference to resolve the crisis through diplomacy. This confirmation was relayed back to the White House by then-National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, who had initiated the contact with Barzani with approval from President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. Following this, the U.S. proposed secret talks in Erbil under Barzani's auspices, but Iranian concerns about security, particularly fears of Israeli intelligence operations in the region, prevented these meetings from materializing.

The episode highlights the complexity of negotiating with Iran, where decision-making authority is fragmented and dominated increasingly by the IRGC, especially after the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and subsequent conflict. Despite a memorandum of understanding reached between the U.S. and Iran, it quickly collapsed, underscoring the challenge for any future negotiations to engage directly with those truly in power. Meanwhile, Pakistani and Qatari mediators continue to shuttle messages between the two sides without significant progress. Barzani has recently offered to help revive talks, but U.S. officials remain skeptical, particularly due to Iran's steadfast policy on the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which is unlikely to change soon.